Dr. Jonathan Weber and his lovely wife Shannon are back in Isreal. Shannon is finishing details related to her last archeological dig and Jonathan is a guest lecturer at the university. Stories of an interesting man named Joshua Ben-Josef begin to surface. He is performing miracles, has 12 followers in his inner circle and his teaching is reminiscent of Jesus. Once Jonathan and Shannon meet Joshua, Shannon quickly believes Joshua's assertions that he is Jesus and God has sent him for an interim visit to mankind. On the other hand, Jonathan remains skeptical and continues to investigate Joshua's background. Their opposing positions cause some problems, but they are young marrieds who can't stay mad at each other too long.Dr. Maier is Lutheran and, like some other denominations, they do not believe in the rapture of believers and the millenial reign of Jesus before the final judgment; therefore, his main character Jonathan Weber has this same belief as the platform for his skepticism of Joshua's claim to be Jesus. He is also very negative about the "Left Behind" books because of the aforementioned. Admittedly, the book dragged some in the middle. I did enjoy the concept and the exploration of what people might do if they believed Jesus had truly returned, so I liked the book. It was an easy, enjoyable read.
I have to say the first part of this book, was a 2 star, however, towards the end, the story redeemed itself. A bible scholar with a Lutheran background was the main character. It brought current events into the story with actual people, which I think was the authors purpose to make the story seem real. However, I was not fond of how for example "The Left Behind Series" was protrayed. Not that I think the Left Behind Series is doctrinally correct, however, I felt like it was a snub of some kind. I felt Jon (the main character) was somewhat arrogant which put me off as I was reading this book. As the story took place, it was easy to imagine how something like this could happen and what people would do. Not to give anything away, I thought the reason why was believable, however, I thought the confronting of the plot was not. For a Christian thriller, I thought it was good. However, I do think people should take caution as to what is stated as truth and seek truth from God's word.
Do You like book More Than A Skeleton (2005)?
"The Visitation by Frank Peretti" by Paul Maier. For a while, I could only think of Brandon from the aforementioned Peretti books when I was reading about Joshua Ben Yosef. Again, a total snooze fest in the literary regard, but at least this one wasn't all about digging in the sand. Still, choppy, wooden dialogue, with a "one too many convenient happenings" villain who is left being just a step too unbelievable.While it wasn't as horrendous as its predecessor, but I wouldn't suggest it to anyone.
—Marcelo
Mr. Maier presents a very intriguing premise. The book follows Jonathan Weber. The setting has multiple references to current culture in the early 2000's, including the Left Behind series (by LaHaye and Jenkins), Pope Benedict, and while cell phones are mentioned, "smartphones" are not. The plot has multiple references to "A Skeleton in God's Closet", but can be read on its own. The detailing is very thorough, so the reader may feel a bit bogged down in the day to day living of Mr. Weber before the pacing picks up near the end. As stated, the premise or possibility is quite intriguing and interesting - leading to questions regarding whether the reader, having vicariously been there for what Joshua's actions were, would make the same decision and believe the same way.
—Gloria
